Method and apparatus for remote interactive exercise and health equipment

ABSTRACT

An exercise system includes a local system having an exercise apparatus and an associated local computer, where the local computer controls and monitors the operation and use, respectively, of the exercise apparatus. The system further includes a remote system having a remote computer, and a transmission medium including a telephone line that couples the local system to the remote system for data communication between the local system and the remote system. The remote system may receive local system data from the local system concerning the use of the exercise apparatus, and the local system may receive remote system data from the remote system concerning the operation of the exercise apparatus. The local computer preferably controls the operation of the exercise apparatus based upon a modifiable script stored in a read/write memory of the local computer, which can be updated by the remote system. A method for controlling an exercise apparatus includes running a modifiable script on a local computer to control the use and to monitor the operation of an exercise apparatus, and communicating with a remote system to provide the remote system with data concerning the use of the exercise apparatus. The script is stored in read/write memory of the local computer and remote system data received from the remote system may include at least a portion of a new script to be stored in the read/write memory of the local computer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/773,617, filed Feb. 6, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser.No.09/690,701, filed Oct. 16, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,472 which is acontinuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/273,591, filed Mar. 22, 1999, now U.S.Pat. No. 6,193,631, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/766,513,filed Dec. 13, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,692, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/008,603, filedDec. 14, 1995, and which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to health and exercise equipment, andmore particularly to computer networked systems including health orexercise equipment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Good health is a fundamental requirement for a happy and long life. Amulti-billion dollar health and fitness industry has grown to helpindividuals meet this requirement. For example, there are a great manygymnasiums which provide facilities and equipment for aerobic andmusculature development, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, ofweight loss and diet centers and programs. The goals of these manyprograms typically include weight loss and/or maintenance, theimprovement of aerobic fitness, improved circulation, increasedstrength, and body building or shaping.

There are several problems encountered with the use of gymnasiums,fitness centers, and diet centers. For one, they tend to be fairlyexpensive due to the need to maintain the facilities, pay rent andpayroll, buy equipment, etc. In addition, these centers tend to beinconvenient in that they require a special trip to the center byindividuals wishing to use their facilities. Both the price and theinconvenience tend to discourage use of these centers over time,allowing the individuals to lose incentive and drop out of their fitnessor diet program.

A partial solution to this problem is home exercise and healthequipment. Again, a large industry has arisen to provide exercise andhealth equipment for the home. This equipment tends to be more of theaerobic type, e.g. stationary bicycles, rowing machines, “step”machines, etc., although weight lifting apparatus, sometimes referred toas “resistance trainers,” are also widely used in the home. These typesof home exercise and health equipment increasingly use sophisticatedelectronics, such as microprocessors, to monitor the level of exerciseand to provide exercise programs for the user.

Unfortunately, even well designed home exercise and health equipmentoften falls into disuse over time. This is because individuals, even intheir own home, often lack the incentive to exercise when there areother, more enjoyable, activities available. Also, since there istypically not the camaraderie often found in a health club, diet center,etc., it is easier for users, as individuals, to discontinue theirexercise or diet program.

Personal trainers have been used both at fitness clubs and in the home.Personal trainers are individuals who usually have a fitness trainingbackground and who typically provide personal training services to anindividual customer. Personal trainers can be very effective in thatthey provide personal motivation and feedback to an individual in theexercise program, and thus often foster a more effective andlonger-lasting exercise program. The downside of personal trainers is,particularly in the home setting, their relatively high cost. It is notunusual for a personal trainer to charge hundreds of dollars per monthfor their services. Therefore, while these personal trainers are veryeffective, they tend to be used by only a small percentage of thepopulation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an exercise and health system which isconvenient, affordable, and effective. The system includes computerizedexercise and/or health equipment (the “local system”) that can providefeedback and encouragement to the user, i.e. can serve as a “virtualpersonal trainer.” In addition, the system includes a remote computersystem communicating over a bidirectional data channel with the exerciseand health equipment. Still further, the system can include a servercomputer system that is in communication with the remote computersystems to provide bi-directional data communication with the remotecomputer systems.

Since the exercise and health equipment can communicate with the user,it is possible for the health equipment to provide incentive andmotivation to the user much in the same fashion as a human personaltrainer. In addition, the health and exercise equipment can store dataand other parameters concerning the exercise or other activities whichcan be used to monitor the progress and to vary the exercise program orscript. In this way, the local system can serve as a “virtual personaltrainer.”

The remote system computer is preferably associated with a number ofexercise and health locations. The remote system computer can beconsidered to be the communication tool of a human personal trainer, asopposed to the “virtual personal trainer” emulated by software in thelocal system computer. For example, the remote system computer can beassociated with one hundred local systems (used by one or moreindividuals in, for example, their homes), and can be used to uploadinformation from the exercise and health equipment of a local system tobe analyzed by the personal trainer at the remote computer. The personaltrainer can then call the individual user to provide additionalinstruction, encouragement, and cautions, and the remote system computercan download new exercise scripts or programs to the local systemcomputer to implement these changes.

The server system computer serves a number of remote system computers.For example, while a remote system computer might serve one hundredlocal system computers, the server system computer might serve as onehundred remote system computers. The server system computer cancommunicate with other server system computers (“peer” servers), or withyet higher order server system computers for the consolidation, storage,processing, and exchange of data. The server system computer can be usedto communicate with the remote system computers for the uploading ofdata concerning the remote system computer and the local systemcomputers that the remote system computer is in contact with, and it canalso download new programs and other data and information to the remotesystem computers. For example, a server system computer or peer systemcomputer might design a dietary program for a particular user which isthen downloaded into the remote system computer for subsequentcommunication to the individual user of a local system.

The systems, methods, and apparatus of the present invention thereforecan provide an effective exercise, dietary, and health program for agreat number of individuals. The computerized health equipment providesincentive and encouragement to stay in the program, due to the “virtualpersonal trainer” of the local system, the human personal trainer of theremote system, and by the various services provided by the enterprise asa whole as supported by the server systems, peer systems, etc. Forexample, a variety of services or products can be offered to the usersof the system to further their health and fitness goals.

These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparentupon the rating of the following descriptions and the study of thefigures of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a health and fitness system in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the local, remote, and server systemcomputers of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a process running on a local system computerof the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of the “PROCESS EXERCISE ACTIVITY” step of FIG.3;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of the “DETECT AND RECORD USER ACTIVITY,PROVIDE FEEDBACK” step of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a “PROCESS LOCAL SYSTEM ACTIVITY” step ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of the “PROCESS REMOTE ACTIVITY” step of FIG.3;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a process running on a remote systemcomputer of the present invention;

FIGS. 8 a, 8 b, and 8 c are three examples of data analysis performed inthe “PROCESS DATA” step 176 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a process running on a server systemcomputer of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIG. 1, a health and fitness system 10 in accordance with the presentinvention includes one or more local systems 12, one or more remotesystems 14, and one or more server systems 16. The local systems 12 aretypically home-based systems designed for the promotion of the healthand fitness of individual users within a family. The remote systems 14may be home or business based, and are used as data gathering andstorage stations, as well as communication stations, between a humanpersonal trainer and users of local systems 12. As will be discussed ingreater detail subsequently, the remote system 14 is associated with arelatively large number of local systems 12, e.g. a personal trainerwith a remote system might be in communication with 100 or moreindividual users of local systems 12. This is made possible, in part, byproviding a “virtual personal trainer” at each of the local stations 12to partially or fully replace the need for a human personal trainer atthe local station. The server systems 16 can communicate with the remotesystems 14 to provide server and control functions across the entireenterprise, i.e. over the entire system 10. As also will be discussed ingreater detail subsequently, the server system 16 is associated with anumber of remote systems 14.

The local system 12 includes one or more health or fitness devices suchas a stationary bicycle 18, a weight or “resistance trainer” 20, a scale22, etc. Associated with a local system 12 is a computer 24 which, inthis preferred embodiment, is integrated into the stationary bicycle 18.A stationary bicycle as a “base unit” is given merely by way of example,as any piece of equipment (a rowing machine, a step machine, etc.) couldhouse the computer 24, or the computer 24 could be housed separately.The computer 24 can serve as a “local server” for other health andfitness devices at local system 12, such as the weight trainer 20 andthe scale 22. Alternatively, a separate local server 26 can be used tocontrol and/or support various devices in local system 12 via data andcontrol lines 28, and communicate with the remote system 14 via atelephone line 30 and a modem 32. However, in the present preferredembodiment, the assumption is that the local server 26 and modem 32 arenot required and that the computer 24 will serve not only to control theoperation and data gathering function of the stationary bicycle 18, butwill also provide these functions for the weight trainer 20 and thescale 22. Of course, the weight trainer 20 and the scale 22 may includetheir own computer systems for local control purposes.

The stationary bicycle 18 includes a housing 34 which, as statedpreviously, preferably houses the computer 24, a crank 36 provided witha pair of pedals 38, a seat 40 supported by a seat stem 42, handle bar34 supported by handle bar stem 46, legs 48, and feet 50. The variouscomponents of the stationary bicycle 18 are typically attached to arigid frame that is internal to the housing 34.

The weight trainer 20 is preferably a resistance-type weight trainer,such as a bench press machine, a biceps curl machine, a squat machine,etc. Typically the user grasps a bar connected to a cable that isattached to a resistance device. This resistance device can be weights,or can be an active resistance device such as a motor, or a passiveresistance device such as an electrically actuated brake. In any event,the amount of resistance to movement of the bar is preferably under thecontrol of the computer 24 and the script that it is running. The scale22 preferably provides an electrical connection to the computer 24through an I/O port to allow the computer 24 to monitor the weight ofthe person standing on the scale.

The computer 24 is coupled to a variety of input/output (I/O) devicesincluding a brake 52, a sensor 54, a display 56, a heart rate monitor(HRM) 59, a loudspeaker 58, an interface 60, a modem 62, and a voiceboard 64. In this fashion, the computer 24 can control and monitor thevarious functions of the stationary bicycle 18.

More particularly, computer 24 can, under software and hardware control,control the electrically actuated brake 52 which is coupled to the crank36 of the stationary bicycle. In this fashion, the pedaling force thatmust be exerted on pedals 38 to cause the crank 36 to rotate at a givenspeed can be varied under computer control. This electrically actuatedbrake can be electric/mechanical brake, electric/magnetic brake, etc. asit is well known to those skilled in the art. The sensor 54 is typicallyused to determine the rotations-per-minute (RPM) of the crank 36. Inthis way, the computer 24 can receive information concerning the levelof effort being exerted by a user of the stationary bicycle 18. Rotationsensors are well known those skilled in the art. The sensor 54 can alsomeasure other parameters such as the force (torque) being applied topedal 38, again to provide information to the computer as to the levelof effort being exerted by the user of the bicycle.

The computer can provide an output on a display 56 that can be viewed byan individual user sitting on seat 40. This display can be a simplelight display, e.g. a series of light emitting diodes (LEDs) or it canbe a full video display. A preferred embodiment of the present inventionprovides a full video display to provide instructions and encouragementto a user of the stationary bicycle. For example, an image of a “virtualpersonal trainer” can be provided on the video display 56. This image ispreferably the image of the human personal trainer who is in charge ofthe remote system 14.

The loudspeaker 58 provides another important communication medium tothe user of the stationary bicycle 18. For example, under computer 24control, the user can be told with either a digitally synthesized ordigitally recorded voice to pedal faster, pedal slower, that they aredoing a good job, etc. Of course, analog recording techniques can beused as well, but are considered to be less flexible and desirable.Preferably, the voice being used is that of the personal trainerassociated with the remote system 14 that oversees that local system 12.Both voice synthesis and digital voice recording on computer systems 24are well known to those skilled in the art.

A local interface 60 can be used to couple the computer 24 to additionalhealth and fitness devices. In this instance, the local interface 60 iscoupled to the weight trainer 20 and to the scale 22. These additionalhealth and fitness systems can either “dumb” systems with limiteddigital computation and storage capabilities, or they can include a fullfledged computer system such as the computer system 24. In the presentembodiment, the weight trainer 20 and scale 22 include digital controlcircuitry (e.g. a microcontroller) which can communicate with the morepowerful computer 24 of the stationary bicycle 18. The various I/Odevices, such as the loudspeaker 58 can be used in conjunction withthese other devices 20 and 22, e.g. the weight detected by the scale 22can be announced on the loudspeaker 58 along with an indication thatthis is an increase or decrease in weight from the last session. Also,as mentioned previously, the weight trainer 20 can include theequivalent of the electrically controlled brake 52 which allows theresistance of the weight bar or handle to be varied to provideresistance (“weight”) training. This control of the break within theweight trainer 20 can be controlled by a “script” of the computer 24.

The computer 24 is also coupled to a modem 62 for communication over atelephone line 30. Alternatively, the computer 24 can be coupled to theremote computer 14 by other communication linkages, such as ISDN digitaltransmission line, via a local area network, or via a wide area network(WAN) such as the Internet. In other words, the telephone line 30represents only one type of data communication channel between the localsystems 12 and the remote system 14. The present embodiment alsoincludes a voice board 64 which can bypass the modem such that theloudspeaker 58 can be driven directly to the telephone line 30 in ananalog fashion. Combination modem/voice boards are commerciallyavailable for personal computer systems, and are well known to thoseskilled in the art.

The remote system 14 includes, for example, a remote system computer 66which is coupled to the telephone line 30 by a modem 68. In addition, atelephone 70 can be coupled to the line 30 by a voice board 72.Alternatively, the telephone 70 can be coupled to a separate telephoneline so that simultaneous telephone and data links can be made. Stillfurther alternatively, it is known to those skilled in the art that asingle telephone line can be made to support both voice and datatransmission. In any event, the telephone 70 can communicate directlywith the loudspeaker 58 of the stationary bicycle 18 over the standardanalog telephone line 30. Alternatively, the telephone 70 cancommunicate with the computer 66 as indicated by the broken line 74 andthe computer 66 can communicate digital voice data via modem 68,telephone line 30 and modem 62, to the computer 24. The computer 24 canthen store or pass through the digital voice data and play the voiceinput to the user of local station 12 via speaker 58.

As noted above, the computer 66 is used to communicate with the localsystem 12 via computer communication link such as the telephone line 30or an equivalent. This communication can include the downloading of dataand instructions to the computer 24, and can include the uploading ofinformation from the computer 24 to the computer 66. This allows forinteractive communication between the remote system 14 and the localsystems 12.

The server stations 16 are used to further consolidate information frommultiple remote systems 14 and to provide a variety of services to theremote systems 14. While the remote system 14 may be housed in humanpersonal trainer homes or work sites, the server system(s) 16 arepreferably more regional or national in origin. In this way, the mainoffice of the enterprise can access each of the server systems 16 toprovide upgrades for software, exercise programs, exercise equipmentscripts, etc., as well as receiving information from the remotecomputers 66 that can be used for further analysis and for providingfurther services. Part of this analysis can be on the general andspecific level of fitness of various individual users of the localsystem 12, as well as marketing information that can be used to offerproduct and services particularly tailored for the various users of thelocal system 12. The performance of the human personal trainers atremote stations 14 can also be monitored. It should be noted that theserver 16 can include direct connect server 76 and peer server 78 thatcan either be direct server itself (like server 76) to a number ofremote stations 14, or which can be a specialized server (such as adietary analysis server) coupled to one or more direct connect servers76. In addition, higher-level servers can be used to further consolidatedata from the direct connect servers 76 and/or the peer servers 78. Forexample, the direct connect servers 76 can be regional in scope, whilehigher level servers can be national or international in scope.

In FIG. 2, a computer 80 is shown in a block diagram form. This basiccomputer architecture can be used for the local system computer 24, theremote system computer 66, and the server system computer 76. Of courseother and equivalent architectures (in the computational sense), such asparallel processing computers can be used in the present invention aswell. In the disclosed embodiment, the computer 80 includes amicroprocessor 82, random access memory (RAM) 84, read only memory (ROM)86, real time clock (RTC) 87, digital mass storage 88, CD-ROM drive 89,and a number of input/output (I/O) ports 90. Preferably, the digitalmass storage 88 is read/write memory such as a hard disk with adequatestorage capacity (e.g. 40 megabytes to 2 gigabytes or more). Inaddition, CD-ROM drive 89 can be coupled to the bus to provide, inparticular, images to be displayed on a display 56 of the local system12. The various components 82-90 address, pass data, and pass controlsignals through a bus 92 which typically includes data (D), address (A),and control (C) lines, as it is well known to those skilled in the art.In addition, there are control and “glue” chips typically provided inthe form of a “chipset” which are used to couple the various componentsof the system together. The design and manufacture of computer systemssuch as computer system 80 is well known to those skilled in the art,and such computer systems are commercially available, both as completesystems and as subsystems (e.g. motherboards) from a variety ofcommercial sources.

In FIG. 3, a process 94 implemented on a local system computer 24 isillustrated in a flow diagram. The process begins at 96 and, in adecision step 98, it is determined whether there is any activity whichrequires the attention of the local system computer. If not, thecomputer system 24 is in a “standby” mode and process control isreturned to step 98 in a recurring manner. If step 98 does determinethat there is some activity, one or more of multiple branches are madeto process the activity. If the activity is “EXERCISE”, e.g. thestationary bicycle 18, the weight trainer 20, or the scale 22 is to beused, a step 100 processes the exercise activity. If it is a “LOCALSYSTEM” activity such as routine housekeeping, the local system activityis processed in a step 102. If it is a “REMOTE SYSTEM” activity, theremote system activity is processed in a step 104. After the completionof any one of steps 100, 102, and 104, process control is returned tostep 98. Of course, other types of activities can be initiated by step98 such as, for example, a shut down activity which would cause apower-down of system, as will be appreciated by those skilled in theart.

In FIG. 4, step 100 of FIG. 3 is illustrated in greater detail. Theprocess 100 begins at step 106 and, in a step 108, a “welcome greeting”is created. This welcome greeting can be displayed on the screen 56and/or can be heard from the speaker 58, and can be personalized to boththe individual user of the local system 12 and the human personaltrainer of remote station 14. For example, the image of the personaltrainer can show up on the screen 56 with his voice saying “Goodmorning, Fred! I haven't seen you since last Wednesday. Let's try to getin a good work-out today!” This greeting forms a part of a “virtualpersonal trainer” at local system 12 which replaces some or all of theneed for a human personal trainer to be present at the exercise sessionat the local system 12. The “virtual personal trainer” is, therefore, acomputerized process which emulates part or all of the functionstraditionally performed by a human personal trainer.

Next, in a selection step 110, the user decides whether he wants toselect his own training program for that session or if he would like thesystem 12 to select the program. If the user selects the program, hecreates a user “script” of what kind of exercise program he would liketo perform that day. For example, if the user wishes to simply bicycleat a fixed resistance for thirty minutes, that can be entered in step112. Alternatively, more complex “scripts” can indicate that he wouldlike to bicycle with interval training for thirty minutes, and then dofive repetitions on the weight trainer 20.

If, however, the user allows the system 12 to select the section type,step 114 controls the script selection. This is the preferred mode forusing the local station 12 in that the script can be influenced not onlyby the local station 12, but also by the human personal trainer at theremote system computer 66. For example, data concerning the user'sprevious performances and the personal trainer's guidance can be storedin mass storage 88 (e.g. on a hard disk) so that a custom-tailored,interactive exercise program can be provided.

As noted above, the exercise program preferably proceeds according to“scripts.” A script is simply a sequence of exercise or otherhealth-related events that are performed in fixed or variable sequences.The order and structuring of the script can be modified based uponmonitoring the user's performance or by other user feedback. Forexample, if it is detected that the user is getting tired due to aslowing of the exercise repetition rate, the steps or parameters of theexercise script can be modified accordingly. In other words, certainscript steps can be skipped or the parameters concerning the steps canbe modified. For example, if a user is determined to be tiring by thelocal system 12, and if the script says the next exercise event is to beten repetitions on the weight trainer 20, that step could be skipped.Alternatively, the weight training step could still be done, but theresistance parameters could be modified. For example, instead of doingten repetitions at a hundred pounds resistance on the weight trainer 20,eight repetitions at eighty pounds of resistance might be called for.The script therefore provides a general framework of a desired exercisesession which can be varied based upon human personal trainer input fromremote system 14, user input at local station 12, and detected userperformance at local station 12.

Once the script has been initiated in either steps 112 or 114, a step116 detects and records user activity and provides feedback to the user.This step will be discussed in greater detail subsequently. Suchparameters as the rotations per minute (RPM) of the crank 36, the timingand speed of the resistance weight repetitions of weight trainer 20, thedetected weight on the scale 22, etc. can all be recorded in the massstorage 88 of the local system computer 24. In addition, user feedbackis provided. For example, if the person is cycling too slow on thestationary bicycle 18, the computer 24 can generate a encouragement onspeaker 58 that the person should pedal faster. Alternatively, if it isdetermined that the user is over-exerting, such as pedaling too fast, acautionary warning can be issued on speaker 58 to slow down. Anotherimportant input is the heart rate monitor (HRM) 59 which detects if theheart (pulse) rate is rising too high.

Next, in a step 118, it is determined whether the session is amodifiable session. Most sessions will preferably be modifiable, unlessthe user selects, in a step 112, a non-modifiable session. If thesession is modifiable, the session is modified in a step 120 based uponthe selected script and upon user activity or other input. For example,if the heart rate monitor 59 detects that the pulse rate is too high,the resistance on the crank 36 can be reduced via a signal to the brake52. Next, in a step 122, it is determined whether the session iscompleted. This is usually based on the script, although the user canalways terminate a session. If the session is not completed, processcontrol is returned to step 116 to repeat the loop. If the session iscompleted, the session records are updated in the mass storage 88, asare the scripts, as indicated in step 124. The process 100 is thencompleted at step 126.

In FIG. 5, the step 116. of FIG. 4 is explained in greater detail.Process 116 begins at 128 and, in a step 130, exercise parametersrelative to the script are stored, preferably in mass storage 88. Theseparameters depend on the type of exercise being done, and the type ofsensory input available to the system 12, but typically includes suchthings as time, RPM, resistance, machine state, etc. These exerciseparameters are used to control the implementation of the exercisescript, and are stored for later analysis.

Next, in a step 132, it is determined whether encouragement is needed.An example of encouragement being needed is when the person is slowingdown below the suggested repetition rate or speed in the script or, forexample, has stopped exercising entirely. In such circumstances,encouragement is given in a step 134. Again, this encouragement can beauditory via speaker 58, visual via display 56, a combination of thetwo, or in any other suitable fashion. Next, in a step 136, it isdetermined whether a caution is needed. If so, the caution is given in astep 138 either through auditory, visual, or other ways. Caution mightbe needed if the user is exercising faster than that suggested by thescript or if a dangerous physical condition is detected, such as by theHRM 59. Next, in a step 140, it is determined if a script preview shouldbe provided. If yes, a step 142 provides an auditory, visual or othertype of preview of upcoming script events. For example, the system 12could be taking a user on a imaginary bicycle ride through the country.The script preview would then, in a step 142, indicate something like“We are now approaching a hill. You will note an increased resistance topedaling in a few seconds which will steadily increase until we reachthe crest of the hill in about one and a half minutes.” These steps 134,138, and 142 are further examples of the local system 12 serving as a“virtual personal trainer.” The process 116 is completed at step 144.

In FIG. 6, step 102 of FIG. 3 is illustrated in greater detail. Process102 begins at step 146 and, in a step 148, it is determined what type oflocal system activity is to be performed. Three different local systemactivities will be discussed herein by way of example. As a firstexample, the local system activity can be to alert the user as indicatedin a step 150. For example, the local computer 24 can detect that it istime for a scheduled exercise session. The computer 24 can thencommunicate with the user via speaker 58 that it is time for a scheduledexercise. In this instance, the computer 24 would use a real time clock(RTC) 87 to know that it was time to initiate the exercise session.After completion of step 150, process control is returned to step 148.

A second type of local system activity would be housekeeping. Forexample, in a step 152, diagnostics can be run to check the operabilityand calibration of the various components of local system 12. Also, in astep 154, data compression, hard disk compaction, and data preparationcan be accomplished.

A third example of local system activity detected by step 148 is a localcommunication within the local system 12. For example, the weighttrainer 20 or the scale unit 22 might be communicating to the computer24 via the interface 60 or vice-versa. A step 146 processes the datafrom the local unit accordingly and can provide commands to the localunit for the exercise or health session. Process control is thenreturned to step 148 after the completion of steps 150, 154, and 156.

In FIG. 7, step 104 of FIG. 3 is illustrated in greater detail. Theprocess 104 begins at 158 and, in a step 160, the connection isestablished with the remote system. Next, in a step 162, information isuploaded or downloaded, the process is completed at 164. It should benoted that the connection of step 160 can be either an incomingconnection or an outgoing connection. If there is an outgoing connectionto a remote system computer 66 the modem 62 makes connection with thetelephone line 30 and dials the telephone number of the remote systemcomputer 66. For an incoming connection, the modem 62 detects anincoming call on telephone line 30, picks up the line, and connects tothe local system computer 24.

Since the systems 12 are typically home based, the user may wish to usea single telephone line for both normal telephone needs and for use bythe system 12 for step 160. It would, of course, be simpler to have anadditional telephone line installed simply for the system 12, but thismay be impractical from a cost point of view. If the system 12 issharing the telephone line with the other telephones and devices in thehousehold, mechanisms and/or processes are preferably provided toprevent interference with normal telephone usage. If the local system 12initiates the call to the server 66, it would simply need to detectwhether the telephone line was available so as not to interfere withother use of the telephone line. It can help ensure this availability bycalling at unusual times, such as the middle of the night or when it isknown that the user is away from the home, e.g. at work.

However, with incoming calls from a computer 66 to the computer 24 on asingle home line, some way of distinguishing between calls for the localsystem 12 and other kinds of telephone calls should be preferablyprovided. Again, this could be time-based such that it is implied that atelephone call in the middle of the night is for the local system 12.The RTC 87 could be used for timing purposes in this situation, or thecomputer could simply start a counter. In this instance, the modem 62would pick up the telephone quickly before other devices, such as ananswering machine or a facsimile machine, would have a chance to pick itup. Alternatively, the local system 12 could allow a number of “rings”before picking up the line. For example, the local system 12 could allowthe telephone line 30 to ring six times before modem 62 picks up theline. In a still further instance, the computer 66 might be calling alocal computer 24 and have the phone line picked up by the user or byanother device (like a telephone answering machine) coupled to thetelephone line 30. In this instance, the computer 66 could hang up theline and call back a second time. Since the computer 24 can monitor theline via modem 62, it could know that a call back within, for example,thirty seconds of a hang up is for the computer 24. Alternatively, itcould listen to the line on the first call to determine if it wascomputer 66 calling, and then pick up the line 62 immediately on anycall back, or call back the remote system computer 66 itself when thetelephone line was free. Again, RTC 87 can be used for timing purposes,or counters can be used, as is well known to those skilled in the art.

Information being uploaded can include parameters and data stored in themass storage 88 concerning the exercise sessions by the user(s) of thelocal system 12. It can also include other system information used fordiagnosing or improving the operation of the local system 12. Inaddition, information can be downloaded to the local system 12 from theremote system computer 66 to, for example, change exercise scripts for auser, provide upgrades for the software running on the local systemcomputer 24, etc.

In FIG. 8, a process 166 running on a remote system computer 66 isillustrated. The process 166 begins at 168 and, in a step 170, anactivity type is determined. A first type of activity is a batch systemconnection whereby the remote system computer 66 sequentially connectswith a series of local systems for the uploading or downloading ofinformation. This process is accomplished in step 172. A batch systemconnection can be used to update the software on a number of computers24 of local system 12, or to upload exercise session data from a numberof local systems 12 on a regular basis, e.g. daily, weekly, monthly,etc.

If step 170 detects a single system activity type, a step 174 connectsthe remote system computer 66 to a single local system 12 for uploadingand/or downloading as described previously. If an activity type “PROCESSDATA” is detected by step 170, a step 176 prepares data on the computer66 for storage, processing, communication, and/or analysis. Examples ofsome types of analysis of the data will be discussed subsequently withreferenced to FIGS. 8 a-8 c. Finally, if an activity type “SERVERCONNECTION” is detected, a connection is made with the server 76 toupload or download information. The server connection can be initiatedby the computer 66, or it can be initiated by the server system computer76 depending on the circumstances. Upon the completion of any of thesteps 172, 174, 176, and 178, process control is returned to step 170.

In FIGS. 8 a-8 c, several examples of types of data analysis that can beperformed on the remote system computer 66 in step 176 of process 166are illustrated. Of course, this analysis can be accomplished at any ofthe computers on the system 10 including the remote system computer 66,server system computer 76, peer system computer 78, or even on the localsystem computer 24. In FIG. 8 a, a display of exercise activity isshown. This display can be on the display on a video display, such as adisplay 56, or it can be printed to make a permanent record. Along the yaxis are the number of minutes of exercise, and along the x axis are thedays of the week. As seen in the illustration of FIG. 8 a, on Monday theuser had twenty minutes of exercise, on Tuesday the user had sixtyminutes of exercise, and on Thursday the user again had twenty minutesof exercise.

In FIG. 8 b, another display or print out of, preferably, the remotesystem computer 66 is a summary of daily exercise activity. As noted,the Monday twenty minute exercise session actually consisted of a tenminute cycling session and a ten minute weight session. Also includes isa summary of the number of calories burned and other parametersassociated with those activities.

In FIG. 8 c, a plot of the user's weight as taken from scale 22 is shownillustrating the day-by-day weights of the user during part of the monthof January. In this way, users are provided with good feed-backconcerning the progress they are making in reaching their ideal weight.This information can be used by the remote or server systems to modifythe exercise scripts and/or provide dietary counseling or products tothe individual users of local stations 12.

As noted, the analysis of the data is preferably accomplished at thesite of the human personal trainer, i.e. the site of the remote systemcomputer 66. However, this analysis can also be accomplished at upstreamor downstream computers. As mentioned previously, the computer 24 of thelocal system 12 is perfectly capable of making these types of analysisand displaying them on the display 66. Also, a simple printer I/O portcan be provided in the stationary bicycle 18 to allow a printout of thegraphs and charts that were shown by way of example in FIGS. 8 a, 8 b,and 8 c.

In FIG. 9, a process 180 running on server system computer 76 isillustrated. In many ways, the process 180 running on the server systemcomputer 76 is very similar to the process 166 running on the remotesystem computer 66. The process 180 begins at 182 and, in a step 184, anactivity type is detected. One type of activity type is the batchconnection where the server sequentially (e.g. serially and/or inparallel) connects to a series of remote system computers 66 foruploading and downloading information. This process is accomplished atstep 186. Another activity type detected by step 184 is the singlesystem connection accomplished in step 188. In step 188, the serverconnects to a single remote system for uploading or downloading. In thecase of step 186 where there is a batch connection, the server systemcomputer 76 will almost always be the initiating computer for theconnection. With the single system connection however, the initiation ofthe connection can come either from the server 76 or from the remotesystem computer 66.

If step 184 detects a “PROCESS DATA” activity type, the data formultiple remote system computers 66 (which includes data from multiplelocal systems 12) is prepared for storage, processing, communication,and/or analysis in a step 190. If a step 184 determines that there is tobe a peer-to-peer connection with a peer server 188, a step 192 makesthe connection with the peer server to pass data back and forth. Ofcourse, there are other activity types that can be performed by theprocess on server system computer 76, these four being by way ofexample. After the completion of steps 186, 188, 190, or 192, processcontrol is returned to step 184 to detect another activity type.

While this invention has been described in terms of several preferredembodiments, it is contemplated that alternatives, modifications,permutations and equivalents thereof will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art upon a reading of the specification and study of thedrawings. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims beinterpreted as including all such alternatives, modifications,permutations and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

1. An exercise apparatus comprising: a user engagement mechanismincluding a frame, at least one of a pedal, a step, a graspable member,and a substantially planar foot engagement surface, and a housingcoupled to and at least partially surrounding said frame; an exertionvarying mechanism coupled to said user engagement mechanism, saidexertion varying mechanism being operative to cause a change of anexertion by a user engaged with the user engagement mechanism during anexercise session; internal circuitry electrically coupled to saidexertion varying mechanism and being operationally receptive toexternally generated signals including an externally generated controlcircuitry signal and an externally generated audio signal includingvocal content, said internal circuitry at least partially surrounded bysaid housing and electrically coupled to said resistance varyingmechanism and said externally generated audio signal, said internalcircuitry being operationally responsive to said externally generatedsignals including said externally generated control circuitry signal andsaid externally generated audio signal including vocal content; andexternal circuitry provided separately from said exercise apparatus andoperative to provide said externally generated signals, whereby saidexercise apparatus can be externally controlled within an exercisesession with the capability of both varying an exertion of said user andproviding auditory output including vocal content to said user.
 2. Anexercise system as recited in claim 1 further comprising externalcircuitry provided separately from said exercise apparatus and operativeto provide said externally generated signals.
 3. An exercise system asrecited in claim 2 wherein said external circuitry includes amicroprocessor.
 4. An exercise system as recited in claim 3 wherein saidexternal circuitry includes a personal computer system.
 5. An exercisesystem as recited in claim 4 wherein said personal computer system iscoupled to a remote server by, at least in part, a network.
 6. Anexercise system as recited in claim 5 wherein said network includes awide area network.
 7. An exercise system as recited in claim 1 whereinsaid vocal content includes the voice of a virtual personal trainer. 8.An exercise system as recited in claim 1 wherein said control circuitryincludes a microprocessor.
 9. An exercise system as recited in claim 1wherein said resistance varying mechanism includes at least one of abrake and a motor.
 10. An exercise system comprising: (a) an exerciseapparatus including: a frame; a housing coupled to and at leastpartially surrounding said frame; a user engagement mechanism coupled tosaid frame for relative movement with respect thereto; a resistancevarying mechanism coupled to said frame and associated with said userengagement mechanism, said resistance varying mechanism being operativeto cause a change of exertion level by a user engaged with the userengagement mechanism during an exercise session; an audio output device;and internal circuitry at least partially surrounded by said housing andelectrically coupled to said resistance varying mechanism and said audiooutput device, said internal circuitry being operationally responsive toexternally generated signals including an externally generated controlcircuitry signal and an externally generated audio signal includingvocal content, whereby said exercise apparatus can be externallycontrolled within an exercise session with the capability of bothvarying a resistance of said user engagement mechanism and providingauditory output including vocal content to a user; and (b) externalcircuitry provided separately from said exercise apparatus and operativeto provide said externally generated signals.
 11. An exercise system asrecited in claim 10 wherein said external circuitry includes amicroprocessor.
 12. An exercise system as recited in claim 11 whereinsaid external circuitry includes a personal computer system.
 13. Anexercise system as recited in claim 12 wherein said external circuitryincludes a personal computer system coupled to a remote server by, atleast in part, a network.
 14. An exercise system as recited in claim 13wherein said network includes a wide area network.
 15. An exercisesystem as recited in claim 10 wherein said vocal output includes thevoice of a virtual personal trainer.